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About this book
A philosophical treatise on art, Tolstoy’s book challenges the idea that beauty is its defining purpose and considers its place in social life. Among the theories he examines are claims that touch, taste, and smell can give aesthetic pleasure, making the boundaries of beauty hard to settle. In his criticism of certain poems, he objects to deliberate obscurity and to the feelings he believes they convey. He argues that art should be judged against the religious understanding that guides a society.
